Filming of Jesse Eisenberg movie 'The End of the Tour' to slow traffic on busy stretch of I-196

Jesse Eisenberg in a scene from "30 Minutes or Less," which filmed in Grand Rapids in 2010. (Courtesy photo)

GRAND RAPIDS, MI – A stretch of I-196 in the heart of Grand Rapids will see traffic slowdowns Thursday, March 6, for a movie shoot.

Filming for “The End of the Tour,” starring Jesse Eisenberg and Jason Segel, will occur between the Fuller Street and Lake Michigan Drive exits between 9 a.m. and 3 p.m. A police-escorted motorcade of vehicles will be driving the loop on both the eastbound and westbound highways at about 35 to 40 miles per hour throughout the day.

“It’s not a de-facto lane closure, but what I refer to as a ‘rolling break,’” said John Johnston, the film’s location manager. “There will be police officers behind our process trailer, and (vehicles) will travel with the flow of traffic.

“We’ll be doing it all during the non-rush hours. We won’t necessarily be on the roadway at every moment, just going back and forth, making big loops,” he said.

Additionally, cameras may be set up on the roadside, with the footprint of the setup being one van and a police car, Johnston said.

Police cars will also be stationed at on- and off-ramps and other key points to warn travelers of slow-moving traffic.

John Richard, a spokesman for MDOT, said significant effort was being made to let the public know about the potential slowdowns.

“They’ll take that loop until they get the shots they need,” Richard said. “We’re taking every precaution. Safety is our top priority.”

Grand Rapids hasn’t been the location for significant film production since 2010, when the action movie “Setup,” starring 50 Cent and Bruce Willis, closed streets in the heart of downtown for a shootout sequence. That same year, another Eisenberg movie, “30 Minutes or Less,” shut down South Division Avenue for a car chase.

But Richard said no other film productions have occupied local highways before.

“We had a permit for ‘30 Minutes or Less’ a few years ago, but that was on West Fulton Street and Lake Michigan Drive,” he said. “This is the first I can remember that was on the interstate.”

“The End of the Tour” began scouting Grand Rapids in December 2013, and principal production started last last month. The drama stars Segel as author David Foster Wallace and Eisenberg as Rolling Stone writer David Lipsky, and is based on Lipsky’s book chronicling the conversations between the two men.

Producer David Kanter of Los Angeles-based production company Anonymous Content said the film has been approved for state tax incentives. The movie’s budget has not been divulged.

The movie previously shot at the Harris Building on South Division Avenue, a Wealthy Street SE apartment building and production recently spent seven days at a location near Port Sheldon Street and 72nd Avenue in Hudsonville.

Production is taking place Wednesday, March 5, in the Mackinac Hall at Grand Valley State University’s Allendale campus. Filming will also take place in Grand Haven and Muskegon, according to Johnston. Filming will conclude the week of March 24.

Johnston said the shoot has been going as planned and is on schedule.

“The city has been incredibly welcoming and incredibly cooperative and the residents and neighbors have been excited,” he said. “We’ve felt incredibly welcome here.”